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Sandra Day O’Connor remembered as ‘the glue of this court’ by Sotomayor in ceremony

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

(CNN) — The late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was honored Monday morning at the Supreme Court during a ceremony in which she was lauded for her collegiality on the bench, role as a moderate jurist and status as the first woman to serve on the court.Justice Sonia Sotomayor drew on past statements by various justices who often spoke glowingly about O’Connor.“My friend Clarence once described Sandra as the ‘glue of this court.’ I agree. She brought us all together,” Sotomayor said, referring to Justice Clarence Thomas.“For many years, the way Sandra went, the court followed and that was for a simple reason,” she added later, a nod to O’Connor’s role as a moderate swing vote on the court. “The nation was well served by the steady hand and intellect of a justice who never lost sight of how the law affected ordinary people.”O’Connor, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, died earlier this month at the age of 93.The ceremony, held at the court Monday morning, was...

Braintree PD: Avoid Five Corners intersection

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

Braintree Police are asking drivers to avoid the Five Corners intersection where Granite, West, and Franklin streets intersect. A truck knocked down the intersection’s overhead traffic lights and due to the wind from Monday’s storm, repair can not be done immediately. https://twitter.com/BraintreePolice/status/1736735525761945736

Source: Chargers signing Patriots’ backup QB for rest of the season

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

The Chargers are signing quarterback Will Grier off of the Patriots’ practice squad to their 53-man roster Monday, a source confirmed to the Herald.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill Belichick responds to whether Robert Kraft has his back amid job status reports New England Patriots | Callahan: Patriots’ loss to Chiefs clarifies harsh reality of upcoming rebuild New England Patriots | Patriots rookie Marte Mapu not satisfied after first career interception New England Patriots | Bill Belichick uses Patriots’ injuries to explain lack of late-game tempo New England Patriots | Patriots have no answers after J.C. Jackson’s lack of playing time in loss Grier first joined the Patriots in September when he was signed off of the Bengals’ practice squad onto the 53-man roster. He was cut late last month and rejoined the Patriots’ practice squad after clearing waivers. ...

US defense secretary, Israeli leaders discuss more targeted approach in Gaza

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

By TARA COPP, MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed with Israeli leaders Monday ways to scale back major combat operations in Gaza but said Washington was not imposing a timetable despite international calls for a cease-fire.Austin and other U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed concern about the large number of civilian deaths in Gaza, even while underscoring American backing for Israel’s campaign aimed at crushing Hamas. Neither side elaborated Monday on what needed to change on the ground for a shift to more precise operations after weeks of devastating bombardment and a ground offensive. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.At a press conference alongside Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Austin said, “This is Israel’s operation. I’m not here to dictate timelines or terms.” The U.S. has vetoed calls for a cease-fire at...

UW-Madison launches program to cover Indigenous students’ full costs, including tuition and housing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Indigenous students from any of Wisconsin’s 11 tribes will be able to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison for free beginning next fall, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced Monday.The Wisconsin Tribal Education Promise program will use private donations and other internal funding to cover tuition, fees, housing, meals, books and other expenses for undergraduate students who can prove they’re members of one of Wisconsin’s tribes, Mnookin said at a news conference.Confirmed tribal members who pursue a law or medical degree will get their tuition and fees covered as well. The program will begin with the fall 2024 semester. The program is similar to Bucky’s Tuition Promise and Bucky’s Pell Pathway programs. Bucky’s Tuition Promise guarantees the university will cover tuition and fees for students from low-income households. Bucky’s Pell Pathway program covers the full financial needs of students from low-income families through grants, scho...

Judge issues order keeping Confederate memorial at Arlington Cemetery for now

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday issued a temporary restraining order barring removal of a memorial to Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.A group called Defend Arlington, affiliated with a group called Save Southern Heritage Florida, filed a lawsuit Sunday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, seeking the restraining order. A hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday. Work to remove the memorial had begun Monday before the restraining order was issued, but the memorial remains in place on cemetery grounds. The cemetery had said on Friday that it expected to complete the removal this week. It said the removal was required by Congress, and that it was complying with environmental and historic-preservation regulations. But the lawsuit accused the Army, which runs the cemetery, of violating regulations in seeking a hasty removal of the memorial. “The removal will desecrate, damage, and likely destroy the Memorial longstanding at ANC as a grave marke...

Russell Brand questioned by London police over 6 more sexual offense claims, UK media say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Comedian Russell Brand has been questioned for a second time by police investigating sexual offense allegations, British media reported Monday.Brand, 48, was interviewed under caution last week over six “non-recent” allegations, the Press Association news agency reported. Brand was questioned by police in November over three other claims. London’s Metropolitan Police did not identify Brand but said in a statement that a man in his 40s attended a police station in south London for a second time on Dec. 14.“He was interviewed under caution by detectives in relation to a further six, non-recent, sexual offenses,” police said. British police do not name suspects who have not been arrested and charged.In September, British media outlets published claims by four women of being sexually assaulted or raped by Brand between 2006 and 2013, at the height of his fame. The accusers have not been named.The comedian, author and “Get Him To The Greek” actor has denied the ...

Trans Mountain project costs ‘reasonably and justifiably incurred:’ Crown corporation

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

CALGARY — The company building the Trans Mountain pipeline has submitted evidence to support its claim that oil companies must pay more in tolls in light of the pipeline project’s mounting costs.Trans Mountain Corp. says in a new regulatory filing that the increased costs of the pipeline expansion project were “reasonably and justifiably incurred.”The Crown corporation has successfully applied for permission to charge oil shippers higher tolls once the pipeline expansion is operational, but only on an interim basis until the Canada Energy Regulator makes a final decision.Trans Mountain Corp. wants to charge oil companies a benchmark toll that is nearly twice the amount of a 2017 estimate, as it seeks to recoup some of the pipeline expansion project’s spiralling capital costs.The pipeline project, which is more than 97 per cent complete, has gone from a 2017 construction cost estimate of $7.4 billion to a most recent estimate of $30.9 billion.Trans Mountain Co...

Mexico’s president calls for state prosecutor’s ouster after 12 were killed leaving holiday party

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president on Monday called for the resignation of the state prosecutor in Guanajuato in light of the state’s high levels of violence, a day after gunmen killed 12 people at a holiday party there. Guanajuato has been the scene of bloody turf battles between the Jalisco cartel and local gangs backed by the Sinaloa cartel. The state has long had the highest number of homicides in Mexico.The Guanajuato state prosecutor’s office confirmed the killings on Sunday and four more in the town of Salamanca, but has so far not provided details about the possible motive.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, speaking at his daily news conference, said he did not have all of the information either, but that the victims were coming out of a traditional holiday party known as a “posada” in the town of Salvatierra when gunmen arrived and shot them.He said there were some working hypotheses, but declined to comment further on what he called an “atrocious” crime. He tied the...

Quebec mother acquitted in daughters’ deaths after third murder trial

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:47 GMT

LAVAL, Que. — A Quebec woman has been acquitted in the 2009 deaths of her young daughters after a third trial on murder charges.Adele Sorella was convicted of murder in 2013 and 2019 follow jury trials, but both of those decisions were overturned on appeal.The third trial was heard before Quebec Superior Court Justice Myriam Lachance in Laval earlier this fall, but without any witnesses or new evidence.Lachance said today in her ruling, which took nearly three hours to deliver, that there were gaps in the Crown’s theory that led her to acquit Sorella on two counts of murder.The young victims, nine-year-old Amanda and eight-year-old Sabrina, were found dead in their playroom on March 31, 2009, laying side by side in their school uniforms.Their bodies bore no signs of violence and the cause of their death has never been determined.Sorella was arrested the following day after crashing her SUV into a hydro pole.Her husband and the girls’ father was Giuseppe De Vito, a man wi...